To the Fall and Rise
by Whas'up
Summary: Donna Noble was always more then just a temp, Adelaide Brooke was always more then just an orphan, and Humanity was always chasing more then just a dream.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: New Story! Yay! I thought to myself 'Whasup, you should probably finish at least one of your other stories before starting this one,' but apparently I didn't listen to a word I said, because here I am. And, also, are there foster homes/orphanages in Britain? Are they at all like what I describe below? If there aren't and they aren't...well...let's say the system changed because alien invasions...and...stuff, an influx of orphans perhaps.**

Adelaide Brooke sat upon her bed, a strict and rigid thing with a metal frame and hard mattress, she swung her dangling feet as the heavy door leading to her block was opened, adult voices drifting through. She looked to the side, sharing a glance with the boy who slept on the next bed, he shook his head and smiled vaguely. He gestured with an incline of his head back towards the door. Adelaide turned in time to see three people enter.

A woman, a man, and Mrs. Harris.

The woman was tall, not incredibly thin or devastatingly beautiful, but generally attractive anyway. Her skin was porcelain, her voice rough and loud, and her hair dark red.

The man was tall, not very handsome or fit, but looked charming anyway. His skin was a light brown, his hair a curly black, and his eyes shined with kindness, kindness that was growing scarcer and scarcer in the world.

They wore expensive clothes, but the woman kept running her fingers over her jacket, her eyes glimmering with astonishment, like she'd never worn a jacket as soft. The man shrugged his shoulders and bunched his sleeves, like it had been years since he'd worn a shirt that fit and was still getting used to it. They walked unquestioned, yet still carried themselves with an agitated confidence, as if waiting for someone to ask them why they were there. The woman especially, with her protectively hunched shoulders and steely glances, looked like someone who would be more at home on the underground then anywhere else.

Mrs. Harris, a diminutive person, looking even shorter when compared to the red haired woman, walked in front of them, glancing back nervously every few moments, "Now of course there are other facilities, if you don't see a child here, there are others in just as much need elsewhere."

The man nodded, raising his arm to encircle the the red heads waist, his palm sliding over her hip. He smiled down at Mrs. Harris, "We understand, thank you."

"This is our ten to fourteen block," Mrs. Harris said, waving her hand over the long gray room.

The woman flipped back her flame colored bangs with a flick of her head, her chin came up, her curious eyes shifting over the empty bed frames, "Not very full, is it?"

Mrs. Harris shook her head, eyes turning downward in the very caricature of defeat, "It's around this age they leave," she sighed. And Adelaide sighed with her, so many of her friends gone, left for something different, something better.

"Leave?" the woman asked, her voice sharp, her eyes narrowing, "How do you mean, leave?"

"It's about this time that they run away, start to think they could do better by themselves."

"How do they go about it though? There are bars on the window, locks on the doors, you keep them here like prisoners," the woman ranted, shrugging out of the mans one armed embrace.

Mrs. Harris took a step back, "When they're at school they sneak away, they don't come back. They go in groups of two or three, and London is so big, we only rarely find them again."

Stuart, the boy with the bed next to Adelaide's, tapped her lightly with one finger, "What you think? They adopting, or just browsing?" he asked bitterly, biting off his words angrily, so much dissapointment for a boy so young. At fourteen Stuart was the oldest in the block, poor, cowardly Stuart, too afraid to run away, and too unlovable to be adopted. Poor Stuart, who was older than his years, poor Stuart, the tallest person in the room.

Adalaide shrugged her narrow shoulders, turning her fair head to observe the three adults again, "They look like nice people," she offered mildly.

"Yeah," Stuart agreed, huffing irritably, "They always _look _that way."

Mrs. Harris clapped her hands, her tired voice drifting down the block, "Children! Line up!"

Both the man and the woman looked utterly appalled as every single child in the room formed a loose line in front of them, their hopefull, pleading eyes shining up at them. Adelaide looked up and down the line, a thoughtful frown on her youthful face, Stuart stood next to her, his eyes looking steadily and unmoving towards the front.

The woman glared furiously at Mrs. Harris, "You didn't have to make them do that," she looked down at the children, glare softening as she observed their rigid stances, "line up like soldiers. That's not right."

The man grasped the womans shoulder gently, rubbing his thumb over the soft fabric, but didn't say a word.

Mrs. Harris gestured at the silent children, "Kids, dears, please be polite, these are the Temple-Noble's, they're here to get to know you."

"Why?!" Stuart exclaimed, his bitter voice ringing through the silent block. "So they can get our hopes up?" he sneered, glaring at the three adults, nudging Adelaide with his elbow, assuming she was on his side. She didn't correct him.

Mrs. Harris stepped forward, her usually calm face twisting downward, as it usually did when she spoke to Stuart, "If you can't be polite, I'll ask you to wait in the hall, now please Stuart-"

"Polite? Why don't they be polite?" he yelled, nodding towards the other adults, "Why do they come here?! Why do they pretend to love us and then go and adopt a foreign baby?"

"Stuart! Leave this instant! You can wait in the hall!"

"I'm not leaving, this is my room, that's my bed," he pointed at his sad little bed, "why don't _you _leave!" he screamed, advancing on little Mrs. Harris, forcing her back, glaring down at her.

But the red haired woman came between them, a sneer to match Stuart's on her face, "Oi! Why don't you calm down, eh mate?" she asked, placing a restraining hand on Stuart's chest.

Stuart stilled under her gentle hand, his face an almost amusing mix of surprise and disbelief, but Adelaide knew what was coming next. She knew exactly what poor, cowardly Stuart would do to the woman five inches shorter then himself. She knew and she could do nothing. Adelaide Brooke closed her eyes and was glad she'd only ever have to remember the screams.

**DISCLAIMER: Sooooooooo, ol' Steve Moffat eh? Looks like you're pretty happy with ol' Amy Pond, huh? Sooooo, Donna Noble up for grabs at all? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: hello, all.**

Adelaide Brooke would sit on Stuart's bed sometimes.

After he attacked that woman he was dragged away to another facility, leaving behind his precious few possessions. No one ever came to reclaim his things and the children in the block kept them safe for him, his bed was still the unkempt nest of blankets it always was, the lone photograph on his nightstand remained there unmoving. His clothes, shoes, and school books rested where he had placed them last. To the children it was a matter of respect, and whatever else they felt, they had always respected Stuart Briggs.

And sometimes Adelaide would sit there, amongst all of Stuart's things.

It was comforting. Because even though Stuart was not her friend, he was familair to her, they had lived side by side for almost two years, she missed his presence. Sometimes.

She was sitting on Stuart's bed the day the man and woman came back.

Almost nine months after their first vist, they returned. Adelaide stared at them, observing them almost hollowly. It was different, they were different. The red haired woman was pregnant, six or seven months at least, she moved slowly, but no less gracefully. Her smile came readily, her eyes shined with happiness, she was radiant and beautiful, pregnancy suited her very well. The man rested his hand on the small of his wifes back, rubbing it lightly, he stared out at the children almsot fearfully, as if they would attack them and steal his family away. Yes, Stuart had definately shaken the man. But while the man looked almost skittish, afraid of what another child could do to his wife, the woman carried herself in the same manner she always had, her chin held high, a light glare shining out at those that would dare judge her.

Mrs. Rouge, the woman that had replaced the calm Mrs. Harris four months previously, stood behind them, following in their footsteps. She did not speak at all.

They sat with Little Sasha first, who had just arrived seven days ago, the woman sat on the bed with her, they talked quietly and not for long. Little Sasha looked at their backs as they walked away. Little Sasha never smiled.

William was next, a smart boy, he shook the mans hand, he invited the woman to sit, he wore the grin that got him an A in school and assumed it would get him parents too. They moved past him.

When they approached Adelaide she was watching them closely.

She studied their feet. The mans boots were old, worn in, muddy and gritty, he had worn these boots for years and would probably wear them for years more. They did not match the rest of his outfit, and yet he wore them anyway, he surely had the money to buy new ones, but he chose not too, he didn't _need _new boots. The woman wore trainers, high top sneakers, they were an almost garish affair of reds and purples, the laces were bright green. They were battered and worn, yet their style was cuttiing edge, Adelaide bet this woman wore them everywhere. She'd need to buy new ones soon.

"I'm Shaun Temple-Noble."

Adelaide did not look up at the man, Shaun Temple-Noble, she didn't nod, she didn't respond, she did nothing but look at their feet and think. In her peripherary vision Adelaide saw the man kneel down on one knee, looking at her, his head tilted to the side.

"My wife, Donna," he said reaching up to hold the womans hand, he rubbed his thumb over the womans knuckles gently, a caress. He drew his wife forward.

"She is Adelaide," Mrs. Rouge said quietly, bowing her head slightly.

Adelaide started violently when a gentle hand came down to cup her chin, prying her resisting face upwards, "Adelaide? Just Adelaide? Reckon there's more to that name, eh?"

"Adelaide Brooke," she whispered, staring up into the blue eyes of the red haired woman.

Donna Temple-Noble did not remove her hand, as if somehow aware that Adelaide would only look at the floor again. The woman smiled at Adelaide, absentmindly caressing her swollen belly, "Adelaide Brooke?" she said, snickering, "Really? Doesn't that get annoying?"

The child looked up in confusion, and saw that the other adults were also narrowing their eyes in question. Shaun stood up, standing solidly next to his wife.

Donna smiled at her husband, "Because of...she's famous, isn't she? Adelaide Brooke...she's," she shook her head lightly, brows crumpling, "an astronaut or something." She dropped Adelaide's chin, tucking herself to Shaun's side, looking up at him desperately, "You've heard of her, haven't you? Must have, famous that one."

"I don't know, babe," he said, an odd sort of fear in his eyes, "you know more about that stuff than me."

"Yeah," Donna nodded vaguely, her hand grasping the fabric covering her husbands broad chest desperately, clutching the blue cloth between clenched fingers, "yeah, I don't know, thought I knew the name. Something...important about it." She looked up at her husband, shoulders hunched, eyes confused, she huffed out an annoyed breath, "Listen to me, going on. Going to think I'm mad or something." She laughed, and her husband laughed with her, but it was strained, like they were both avoiding something and they didn't even know what that something was.

The next moment, with a the ease of a lightswitch flipping, their attention was once again on Adelaide.

The woman smiled and made to sit next to Adelaide on the bed, muttering a rough 'budge up' as she eased herself down.

Adelaide eyed her suspiciously.

"So," Donna said, shrugging as she looked down at the little girl at her side, "Wanna tell me about yourself?" she asked skeptically.

Adelaide's eyes narrowed, "No."

Donna nodded, "Alright, do you want to speak at all?"

Adelaide shrugged her narrow shoulders.

"Do you like science, math?" Donna asked, a knowing look in her eye, as if she already knew math and science were Adelaide's life blood.

"They're my favorite in school," Adelaide said quietly, looking at the floor.

"You do well in school," Donna said, not a question. She chuckled, "nothing like me, I barely made it at all." Donna reached forward, her hand held out towards her husband, who took it in a second. "But I did like maths, I was always good at it."

"I'm good at it too," Adelaide said, interest in the conversation suddenly peaking, "Best in my year."

Donna smiled at her, "How old are you? 12?"

"Yes. How old are you?" Adelaide asked.

Donna tilted her head back, a smirk growing on her face, "76 times 4 minus 152 divided by 4."

Adelaide's eyes shined as she did the calculations in her head, a genuine smile growing on her lips as her mind spun, "38," she said triumphantly.

"Smart lady," Shaun laughed, patting a gentle and proud on Adelaide's shoulder.

"Oi!" Donna laughed, "I think we need a plural there, don't cha?"

"Smart ladies," Shaun corrected.

Donna grinned down at Adelaide, nudging the child with her elbow, and Adelaide smiled back.

**DISCLAIMER: OH DONNNA, DONNNAAA, awesooomme commmpannion DONNNNNAAA! YAY, I own that song right there...yup, all mine.**


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